Quiet, country life on the T? (Boston, Lowell: rentals, crime rate, how much)

[rbirch]

I have a complicated request. I am looking for my dream situation: within 90 minutes from Boston on the commuter rail (up to 2 hours door to door), I would like to live in a quiet, walkable neighborhood/town, in a studio or one bedroom with hardwood flooring. Can anyone tell me where to look? North shore, south shore, metrowest?

Budget is up to $900/month rent- though I'd be happier at $700. Is this impossible?

The social/culture aspect of a neighborhood/town is not as important to me as the quietness and safety and walkability (walking to the train station would be a big plus). I have looked at Newburyport and found it pretty nice, but I'm open to anywhere.

I previously lived in the 'happy valley' and loved it. I was hoping I could find something sort of similar, though it's okay if it's a little more urban. I just don't even know where to start!

[rbirch]

Some things I'd like to find in a town, besides easy commutability to Boston:

parks
lots of trees
bicycling routes
natural foods/ produce markets/ farmer's markets
access to hiking/ outdoor activities


All suggestions are welcome!

[Valerie C]

90 minutes to Boston via public transport. covers alot of area! I can only comment on North Shore/Southern NH. Completely out of my area once people starting talking metro West, south shore, etc.

You mentioned Newburyport, there are towns not far from NBPT such as Merrimac or Amesbury that would be close to commuter rail service. Rentals would definately be available in Newburyport or Amesbury, not sure of Merrimac, or how much it would be (can check for you if it would be helpful). These towns would have the parks/trees and bike routes taht you are seeking.

Haverhill and Lowell each have easy access to commuter rail service and highway (495). Each has its own urban problems, but there are truly some beautiful neighborhoods in each. The Belvedere section of Lowell, and the Bradford section of Haverhill have beautiful old homes, tree-lined streets, sidewalks, parks, etc. There is a 2nd T stop in Bradford (always considered the nicer side of town) that is just over the river, and there are rentals within walking distance. Lots of parks within both, daytime no problem w/ safety, but night time may be something else....

I've got to run, but will come up with some other area that you might want to consider

[rbirch]

Thanks, Valerie. I'm not sure about Haverhill, Amesbury or Lowell, since I looked at the crime stats on mod cut and didn't like them compared to Newburyport. North shore overall looks like a good bet, though.

Any information on Ipswich? Looking on craigslist, it seems quite affordable.

[Valerie C]

Ah well, not much compares to Newburyport, especially these last several years. Newburyport 20 years ago was NOTHING like today... It was sort of dumpy actually. I do know of one rental for $700 plus utils (a garden-style studio), pretty far from downtown area, close to Rte 95. Amesbury is a great town, downtown is very walkable, restaurants, stores, etc, and right next to Newburyport. Actually there is no area of that town that I would hesitate to go into after dark (can't say the same about Haverhill or Lowell, unfortunately) Do yourself a favor and visit the town if you're in the area checking out Newburyport, and try not to base your decision on outdated statistics.

(and remember the words of Mark Twain: "There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies and statistics.")

Here are some of the podunk stats:
Amesbury
Crime: The number of violent crimes recorded by the FBI in 2003 was 58.
The number of murders and homicides was 0.
The violent crime rate was 3.5 per 1,000 people.

Haverhill:
Crime: The number of violent crimes recorded by the FBI in 2003 was 326.
The number of murders and homicides was 1.
The violent crime rate was 5.5 per 1,000 people.

Lowell:
Crime: The number of violent crimes recorded by the FBI in 2003 was 866.
The number of murders and homicides was 2.
The violent crime rate was 8.2 per 1,000 people.

For some odd reason, there were no crime stats on Newburyport... hhmmmm....

Ipswich is up there in the $$ these days as well Not much avail. right now on MLS (keep checking craigslist, maybe you can get into a room-mate situation?) Keep in mind that there have been cases of craigslist postings from agents who are scouting for 1st time buyers (sorry, that rental is gone... maybe you'd like to buy instead...)

[ChunkyMonkey]

I think Ipswich is a great town for nature, with horse farms intermingling a small New England town. Great local farms around the area and awesome hiking and paddling opportunities and don't forget Crane Beach, an awesome spot on the Atlantic Ocean. It has commuter rail to Boston, but is probably quite pricey. Good luck.

[MovingEast123]

My husband and I spent the summer in Newburyport and loved it. He took the train in to Boston daily. He said it was a 65 min train ride plus about a 15 min walk from the North Station(he was going to the Financial District). He also liked that the Newburyport train was the start of the line, so he always got a seat and never had to wait on the platform. The quality of life there was wonderful... summer concerts in the park, "Yankee Homecoming" week with numerous fun activities for all age groups, Plum Island beaches only 10 min away. For our family, the commute was a bit too far, otherwise we'd pick Newburyport for our upcoming move. My husband is a runner and found the countryside there beautiful for that so I would imagine you could cycle there as well. (I can't speak to the prices for rentals, as we stayed with family.) Good Luck!

[erin.bean28]

Originally Posted by rbirch

I have a complicated request. I am looking for my dream situation: within 90 minutes from Boston on the commuter rail (up to 2 hours door to door), I would like to live in a quiet, walkable neighborhood/town, in a studio or one bedroom with hardwood flooring. Can anyone tell me where to look? North shore, south shore, metrowest?

Budget is up to $900/month rent- though I'd be happier at $700. Is this impossible?

The social/culture aspect of a neighborhood/town is not as important to me as the quietness and safety and walkability (walking to the train station would be a big plus). I have looked at Newburyport and found it pretty nice, but I'm open to anywhere.

I previously lived in the 'happy valley' and loved it. I was hoping I could find something sort of similar, though it's okay if it's a little more urban. I just don't even know where to start!

Unfortunatly, Boston is so damn expensive that a reasonable request such as yours is almost impossible! My boyfriend and I spent much time looking in the same price range you decribed in the North Shore only to find that our goals were almost unatainable!
However if you look long and hard you can find a great steal! I would try looking on Craigslist.com and searching in Melrose or Malden (parts of Malden can be a bit scary and loud but there are a few gems!) or looking in Beverly which has some really nice areas and some not so nice areas, but rent can range from $700-1200 for a studio to a two bedroom and is right on the commuter rail. I live in Wakefield and feel really safe there Reading and Stoneham are safe as well but both of these towns can be a bit more costly however if you look hard enough there are always some great steals! The Wakefield/Stoneham/Reading area all are connected to the T via bus line...so it isnt really walking distance but you can definatly make it there!

[imagine]

I recommend Newburyport. Haverhill isnt the best since it has gang issues. Lowell and Lawrence dont even need to be explained. Although Lowell has made a bit of progress. Ipswich is a small middle class town. Ipswich isnt too bad, but the schools are no where near as good as Topsfield, Boxford, or Newburyport.